fishing in rivers
Last knockings or first light are often the best times for fishing, but you have to be able to bear the sounds and shapes of the night. The hours between dusk and dawn is the time of magic, myth and monsters. The angler—Garrett Fallon—fishes through both in the hope of a decent catch. But things …
Micro spinning for wild brown trout on a lost urban river in England with David West Beale. The angler keeps returning to a favourite urban river to check on the health of its miraculous stocks of wild brown trout. After years of experimentation, he practices the Japanese technique of micro spinning, using a tiny rod …
A river in the south of France leaves a lasting impression on Garrett Fallon. After weeks of lockdown, my fishing season is drifting slowly into focus as a punt might emerge from the mist, gently nudged along by a benevolent breeze. With relief, I’ll soon be casting a line again, but regardless of this enthusiasm, …
Join Garrett Fallon as he follows in the footsteps of history to find the source and trace the path of one of London’s lost rivers, the River Peck. Fallon’s Angler · Ramble On Episode 3: The lost River Peck of London, Part 1
(RiderBooks, Penguin Random House, 2016) We first meet the author on a deserted beach, waiting for mackerel: “Circumstance and illness have led my wife, Sue, and me into a life of rural simplicity… If I catch a fish or two this afternoon then they will be eaten for supper. Should I fail, we will not …
The sound of the line unfurling through the air cut through the distant thrum of the rapids, bird song penetrating the backdrop like needles, sunlight dappling through the boughs of hornbeam, birch, and willow, splinters of shine, bouncing and carrying on the riffles of current. Then a step or two, the push of water as …
Fallon’s Angler goes in search of a 2lb perch on the river Kennet with Kev Parr. Kev talks about his return to Aldermaston Mill after a long break and reflects on the river and the fishing while catching some winter chub and perch. A film by Nick Fallowfield-Cooper.
“Tramp” said her eyes, sunk into an intolerant, pityless look that contorted her face. “Weirdo” said the face of another, while hastily averting his glance less I ask him for any spare change. “Fisherman” said the welcome smile of a third. She knew her onions, recognised the rod as a tool (not a weapon), recognised …
The spring that supplies us with water, bubbles up just below our cottage before trickling off to the north-east where it becomes the River Wyn. It is a tiny course that soon meets the Hooke and then the Frome, less than three miles away. Unlike the winterbourne that I grew up beside, the Wyn flows …
I’m not entirely sure where February went. One moment January was dragging its feet and a couple of blinks later the blackbirds are singing and March is upon us. The thin end of the coarse season always seems to rattle by, but I did manage to make it out three times over the past month, …
It was great to see Mark Walsingham (Skeff) on CountryFile earlier this month. He was with Dave Webb of the UK Wild Otter Trust to explain the new otter trapping licence, and the two of them featured in a segment focused on the current otter ‘debate’. Much of the piece was filmed at Ashmead, Skeff’s …
In memory of Niall Fallon, who passed away on 26th January 1996. Originally penned by Garrett Fallon in 1992. As a child I had little appetite for work, seeing it as something horrid that served you right for growing old. I also had a distinct lack of interest in grownups, as they talked incessantly of …
Festive television is invariably underwhelming. Full of re-makes, repeats and Christmas ‘specials’ that make you smile, but only because the excess of port and stilton has left you mildly stupefied. I did watch Charlie Brooker’s 2016 Wipe last evening though, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Mind you, the past twelve months have delivered plenty of …
I went for a walk yesterday afternoon on my local patch. It was only a few degrees above freezing, but I had in mind that the sunshine might have tempted an adder out. I may have been proved right, but left it half an hour too late. The south facing bank where I had hoped …
To coincide with the launch of Fallon’s Angler issue eight, photographer Nick Fallowfield-Cooper caught a glimpse of the contrasting worlds of Paul and Tim, two lifetime Norfolk anglers who fish rivers of a very different nature, The Great Ouse and the Wensum. Written by editor Garrett Fallon, the story unfolds in the new issue, now …
I have always had a peculiar relationship with the Dorset Stour. A couple of visits as a child and teenager offered me a river full of mystery and intrigue, but after a long period of barbel obsession (that had a distinct chalk stream edge) I struggled to understand the Stour when I returned to her …
(Old Pond Publishing, 2015) By Theo Pike In these days when all the funky river menders are talking about catchment-scale processes, natural flood management, and even rewilding with beavers, it’s feeling rather rare to find a book that’s just about fish. More to the point, it’s even rarer to find a book that’s just about …
“It has always been my private conviction that any man who pits his intelligence against a fish and loses has it coming.” John Steinbeck No matter how great we think we are, we are quickly brought back down to earth by those finned creatures that swim and attract our longing. I have caught a few …
I spent a few hours yesterday wandering the heath and bog of Wareham Forest. I heard my first cuckoo of the year, found lizards basking and lost an hour listening to the lamenting song of the woodlark. In the thick of the bog was a dark, peaty pond, reed-lined and slightly rank. A sedge warbler tchked …
Founded in 1995, The Westcountry Rivers Trust (WRT) is a charity and waterway society created to further the protection and enhancement of the rivers of south-west England. One of its most prominent initiatives was the Cornwall Rivers Project (CRP) – which, with £2.6m funding from the European Union and DEFRA, was aimed at managing the …
The rivers of Cornwall have long had an association with the Atlantic salmon. Spate rivers such as the Taw, Torridge and Camel have drawn anglers from all over the country, and despite the decline on salmon numbers, produce good fish every season. In south-east Cornwall another salmon river flows unnoticed by many. The Tiddy is …
Editor Fallon is an easy going sort. He rarely cracks the whip and is open minded with regard to content – he’ll even let the odd swear word through. In fact, his only dictum is to never mention religion or politics. With that in mind, Fishpool will make no mention of the underfunding of the …
Another winter of fluctuating river levels and major flooding has left plenty of homes and businesses in tatters and great chunks of the natural world decimated. When the water levels have eased, a walk along a riverbank can give a startling illustration of just how fierce the currents were. Aside from the mud and remoulding, …
Written by Greg Freestone There’s a river not far from here. It’s a miniature river, a Trumpton river winding through toy-towns and out into their rural hinterlands, flowing beneath hilltop churches, through ancient fords and under bridges, draining and watering this ever-thinning strip of old farming Essex, a shallow agricultural valley still surviving against constant assault …
While reading of Vic Gent’s First Casts in Issue 5 of Fallon’s angler, one particular sentiment struck a chord. Vic describes his early efforts on the River Nene upstream of Peterborough, and more specifically a small backwater that could only be fished from a boat. Such a place sounds heavenly, especially, Fishpool suspects, through the eyes …
At 100miles, the Nene is the tenth longest river in the United Kingdom – not bad for a stream that many cannot even pronounce. Though its etymology is uncertain (Celtic roots seem to be most likely) the river was, until the start of the 20th Century, spelt either Nyn or Nenn, and it is the …
Words by Nigel Ling New Year’s “fabled infant” comes to me stillborn. After the festival of Christmas I cannot shake off January’s slump; the winter bears down, the dim fairy lights in house windows, waiting on Twelfth Night, are relics of a better time. Fishing in January is usually hard; floods are expected and cold …
Being landlocked, Wiltshire gets a bit of a raw deal when it comes to river names. The ‘Hampshire’ Avon spends far more time in Wiltshire than Hampshire, while the Bristol Avon also loiters for a good deal within the county. Wiltshire also gives the Blackwater to Hampshire and the Kennet to Berkshire, but one river …
Though the carp has previously appeared in the hallowed pages of Bits and Pieces in a variety of guises, many anglers value a fish caught from running water in different regard to one from a stillwater. In some situations, such as when winter floods have washed a stock of lake swimming carp into the nearest …
The Derbyshire and Staffordshire Dove flows for 45 miles from its source at Dove Head, in the moors of the Peak District, to the village of Newton Solney (definitely not to be confused with Newton Tony (see People we Like)) where it meets the River Trent. It was on the Dove where Izaak Walton and …
Fishpool is more fortunate than most, not least because he or she didn’t have to face the rigours and strains of growing up in the City. A rural upbringing makes life far easier for a young rod-wielder. Aside from the increased tolerance of such an activity, there are far more opportunities to cast in the …
Flowing for forty miles through Powys and Shropshire before meeting the Severn at Melverley, the Vrynwy is a river popular with walkers, kayakers and, of course, anglers. In the 1880’s a stone dam was built in order to create a reservoir from the clutch of streams that formed the headwaters of the Vrynwy. The resulting …
A recent thread on The Path by The Water forum reminded Fishpool of the greatest moment in the life and career of Thomas the Tank Engine. Thomas Goes Fishing is the second story in the fourth book of Rev W Awdry’s Railway Series, entitled Tank Engine Thomas Again. Thomas’ branch line crosses the local river, …
The devastating floods of this and recent winters have caused havoc not just for people, but also for wildlife. So rapidly have the waters risen that huge numbers of invertebrates and small mammals have simply been washed away. The fish have struggled too, with river species becoming stranded in fields and ditches, and their stillwater …
Among the less absurd practices of the Golden Scale Club was the annual gudgeon fishing trip. The humble gudgeon (Gobio gobio) has long been held with a regard that is not in keeping with its size. With a specimen weighing somewhere in the region of 2 ounces (smaller still on some waters) and the record …
The last episode of the recent BBC2 series Earth’s Wildest Waters – The Big Fish, found the three finalists in Zambia, south-central Africa, where they tackled the mighty Zambezi River. The target species was the tiger fish (Hydrocynus Vittatus), a fearsome looking fish with teeth so prominent that resident judge Matt Hayes compared its dentistry …
Ah, the late seventies…..a time when music was real, man…. The Sex Pistols were busting the establishment with Never Mind the Bollocks.., The Clash were fighting the law, and out of Brighton came The Piranhas – a ska band whose cover of Tom Hark had people shimmying around disco halls right across the country. Despite …
If we ignore the coastline paradox (which isn’t easy because Fishpool does enjoy pondering a paradox), then Norway has the seventh longest coastline of all the countries in the world – only a smidgeon shorter than that of Australia. And if more than 16,000 miles of coast wasn’t enough for the angler, Norway’s rivers also …
Aaahhhh – all together now! – ‘Zambezi, Zambezi, Zambezi, Zam, I’m on me way,’ – who could forget such timeless lyrics? Written by Nico Carstons and covered by a host of artists such as Acker Bilk, Chet Atkins and (most memorably for Fishpool, at least) The Piranhas, ‘Zambezi’ must be one of the most infuriatingly catchy …
Fishpool trod the banks of a lowland river recently, hoping to catch a nice chub. Sadly, not a bite was had, and this was due in part to one of the biggest tangles in the history of angling. Of course, it wasn’t Fishpool who got in a fix, but his or her angling companion for …
Rising on the edge of the Chiltern Hills, not far from Luton, is one of the most famous angling rivers in the world. Many anglers have set foot on the banks of the Lea, many inspired, in part at least, by the writings of Izaak Walton – who cast here himself back in the 17th …
For many anglers, the humble bleak (Alburnus alburnus) is looked upon with little fondness. It is a small fish, the British record is around 4 ½ ounces, that tends to congregate on large shoals and will snatch a bait intended for a quarry far larger. Found predominantly in flowing water, the bleak a long, slim, …
Christmas Eve always meant a midday finish, and though there were a few loose ends to tie, the bulk of the morning would be spent nattering and clockwatching. I’d turn my computer on, and probably check my emails, but even my games of solitaire would be half hearted. In years past I would have clocked …
Fishpool recently wrote of the bronze bream, and how many anglers regard the mature adult fish as a separate species to the smaller, juvenile ‘skimmers’. A similar moniker could be levelled at the roach (Rutlius rutlius) – a species that might not change too much in colour and all round appearance as it ages, but …
Certain species of fish seem to represent perfectly the landscape of their environment. The taimen in the vast plains of Central Asia; the blue marlin in the deep azure of the open ocean; and the golden mahseer (Tor putitora) in the mythical and spiritual waters within the foothills of the Himalaya. The golden mahseer is one …
There was a time when the float was a river angler’s principle tool. With it he could cover every depth and every line; he could slow the bait down or let it run through at the pace of the current; and he could see the gentle dips from shy biting fish such as big roach. …
Rising near the village of Evershot in the Dorset Downs, the Frome flows for thirty miles before emptying into Poole harbour below Wareham. A chalkstream, the Frome is rich in invertebrate life and supports a large population of brown trout, along with a migrant population of sea trout and salmon. For many years, the fish …
“Come on son. We’re gowan to ketch a perch,” sez he. I was too young to shave and still at an age when I thought girls were pointless and as annoying as acne. But I followed him like a puppy, yapping at his heels in joy. We approached the old stone bridge that crossed a …
When we consider British migratory fish, many of us will think of salmon and sea trout. There are eels too, of course, and also lamprey, but two species that are often altogether overlooked are the shad. The allis shad (Alosa alosa) and twaite shad (Alosa fallax) are both members of the herring family and are …
It could be argued that the Wye currently offers better fishing than any other river in the British Isles. Measuring 134 miles, the Wye is the fifth longest river in the UK, and flows from its source at Plynlimon, high in the Cambrian Mountains, through towns such as Builth Wells, Rhayader, Ross, Hay and Monnow …
Few ‘British’ fish divide opinion quite as much as the zander (Sander lucioperca). A fish non-native to the British Isles but common across mainland Europe, the zander was first introduced into Woburn Abbey Lakes in 1878 by the Duke of Bedford. Though movements of fish were made subsequently, it was not until 1963, when 97 …
The etymology of our rivers is a fascinating subject. The names of many of our waterways recur across the country, and the ‘Ouse’ is no exception. There is the Great Ouse (see Bits and Pieces Issue 26) of course, alongside rivers suffixed by Sussex, Little and this Issue’s focus, the Yorkshire Ouse. This particular stream …
Measuring over 38 miles from east to west, the Humber Estuary is the second largest coastal plain estuary in the United Kingdom (After the Severn Estuary). Around 20% of England’s landmass drains into the North Sea through the estuary, via rivers such as the Trent (see Bits and Pieces Issue 16) and the Yorkshire Ouse …
Ever wondered why the Severn is so called? Or why there are so many rivers called Avon and Stour? The Etymology of our rivers has confused and intrigued for centuries. Some names are self-explanatory. The ‘Blackwater’, which is a name shared by at least a dozen water courses in the British Isles, relates to the …
My older brother spent 25 years in sales, driving all over Ireland—staying in hotels and B&Bs, attending expos and events, meeting customers—his arse sunk in the back-straining seat of his car or van, gravity doing all it could to drag his spine into the ground. He’s out of that now, fitter and at least an …
Rising on the Woolley Moors near Bradworthy (not far from the source of the River Tamar), the River Torridge spends much of the first half of its existence flowing east. Then, having picked up a handful of tributaries including the Rivers Lew and Okement, the Torridge veers north, cutting a path deep into the bedrock …
Anyone who watched (or read) Charles Rangeley-Wilson’s The Accidental Angler may have been inspired to look for fish in places where they really shouldn’t be. As Rangeley-Wilson demonstrated, even in a City such as London, there are small streams and waterways tucked and tidied away in spots where we simply walk past without knowing their …
The graying (Thymallus thymallus) is an often overlooked fish. The presence of an adipose fin places the species (taxonomically at least) with the Salmonidae, but the grayling has not been looked upon favourably in many rivers, such as the Itchen, where it swims beside the more desirable trout and salmon. Most coarse anglers, meanwhile, are …
Rising at Syresham, in Northamptonshire, and flowing for 143 miles before entering the sea at Kings Lynn on The Wash, the Great Ouse is the fourth longest river in the United Kingdom. The upper reaches are narrow and twisting and despite the lack of size, home to some monster fish. Though not present in the …
Hampshire is renowned for its chalk-streams and one of the finest, and most famous, is the Itchen. Rising near the village of Cheriton (scene of a battle in the Civil War) the river skirts the market town of Alresford where it is fed by tributaries the Arle and the Candover Stream, before heading west to …
Way back in Issue 13 of Bits and Pieces, Fishpool sang the praises of the Royalty Fishery – but there is more to the Hampshire Avon than those hallowed banks. The river around Ringwood is renowned for barbel and chub, while a little further upstream, at Ibsley, huge roach used to ghost across the gravel …
One of the greatest moments of an angler’s day is, having been caught by a sudden storm, to happen upon a little hut beside the river. It will be unlocked and built for no other reason than to shelter anglers such as he or she who has just stumbled damp through the door. Largely built …
Why is it that we spend so much of our lives running, when really all we’d like to do is walk? We have a propensity to complicate our days, rush through them, fill them with activity, purpose, goals and achievements. But does it actually get us anywhere? Do we actually know where it is …
Fishpool once spent a rather pleasant afternoon in Taunton, tucking into the scrumpy from the bars of the County Ground as I enjoyed a complimentary ticket to the cricket. The only thing lacking was the presence of a seriously destructive batsman. This was long before Chris Gayle’s fireworks and the days of Viv Richards and …
Rising close to the village of Whissonsett, in north central Norfolk, the River Wensum is a river with a fine angling pedigree and a diverse cross section of wildlife. A nationally important chalk water habitat, the Wensum is home to more than 100 plant species and was designated a Special Area of Conservation in 2001. …
Much has been made about the poor state of many of our rivers, with chalk streams especially in decline. It seems that the aquifers that for millennia have purified the water of rivers such as the Kennet and Itchen, can no longer cope. Government research suggests that the levels of agricultural fertilizers within our water …
Rising in Germany’s Black Forest, the Danube is one of the world’s great rivers. At 1,189 miles it is Europe’s second longest to the Volga, and flows through ten countries before emptying into the Black Sea. Once the long standing frontier of the Roman Empire, the Danube flows through four modern day Capital Cities – …
Dating back to the early 10th Century, the south Devon town of Totnes is a noted centre for the arts – a Market Town with a modern day, Bohemian feel. It sits at the top of the tidal reaches of the Dart, the river that flows from deep within the Moor which takes its name. …
Back in July, Neil Bridges was fishing for barbel on the River Severn at Ripple. It was dark when he hooked into something rather larger than he was expecting. For 75 minutes he battled a fish that turned out to be far too big for his landing net, and ultimately he had to drag it …
“May the luck of the Irish be with you!” is a well-known Irish blessing. I’m not sure of its origins, seeing as I don’t remember being especially lucky at any time, if you discount meeting a lovely lass and marrying her, and having a wonderful child. I’d like to think those things happened because I …
An urban chalk stream? In South London? No fooling? It’s true, and the River Wandle isn’t alone, though it probably offers anglers the greatest variety of fishing. Fed by water cleansed by the chalk aquifers of the North Downs, the Wandle first shows itself in Croydon, before slipping its way through Merton and Sutton and …
1969 is etched in history as a landmark year for Man. On a mid-September night on the Great Ouse, John Dean caught the last burbot (Lota lota) to be taken on rod and line in Britain. The burbot is the only member of the genus Lota and the only member of the cod family to be …
The Mighty Trent – it is an apt moniker. The Trent is the UK’s third longest river and drains a vast area of central England. From its source at Biddulph Moor in Staffordshire, the river works its way north-east, picking up tributaries such as the Derbyshire Derwent, Dove, Idle, Mease and Soar, before emptying into …
Regarded by his peers as one of the finest wildlife filmmakers ever, Hugh Miles has had an extraordinary career that has taken him from filming condors in the Andes to polar bears in the arctic and snow leopards in the Himalayas. He has come within inches of tigers and jaguars in the search for the …
Steve Roberts was born within casting distance of Old Father Thames, where he spent a halcyon boyhood catching perch from beneath wind ruffled willows. He evolved as an angler on the idyllic river Kennet, where he chased barbel among the thick, waving fronds of ranunculus. Having caught his fill of whoppers the lure of spring …
From the savagery of the bite, to the endless power of the fight, hooking a barbel (Barbus barbus) is an unforgettable experience. These are fish of fast flows and strong currents, using the weight and power of the water to hold station against the bottom – their stream-lined shape perfectly suited to life in the …
Many modern angling guides offer the chance to catch big fish with little fuss. Using modern techniques and baits and fishing venues with a proven pedigree. At River Days, things are a little different. Under the guidance of Steve Roberts (see People we Like) we can still expect a fish or two for our money, …
Now nearly twenty years old, The Wye and Usk Foundation is a charity created through concern of the ecology and, more specifically, restoring the habitat and water quality of the rivers Wye and Usk. The Foundation combats problems such as habitat degradation and pollution, while trying to reduce the barriers that might prevent successful movement …
In the Berkshire village of Aldermaston, is one the most well known day ticket river venues in the country. The Old Mill offers anglers the chance to fish the River Kennet, and it is likely that more people have caught their first ever barbel (see Fish we Like) here than anywhere else. There is a …
At the end of a terrace in the small market town of Usk, upon the river of the same name, sits the most extraordinary fishing tackle shop in Britain. Sweets Fishing Tackle has been trading on Porthycarne Street for nearly a century, and little has changed in that time. Originally founded by Harry Powell, inventor …
In north Ceredigion, in the Cambrian Mountains, lie a series of glacially carved ponds. Known as the Teifi Pools, these provide the source for the longest river to be found wholly in Wales. Afon Teifi is 76 miles from source to sea and is oft regarded as one of the most beautiful river courses in …
The Hampshire Avon slips through some of the most stunning and historic land in the country. Sprung from the chalk aquifers of Salisbury Plain, the upper river sparkles through archaeological heaven. Stonehenge, Woodhenge, the ancient metropolis of Durrington Walls, then, of course, through Salisbury whereafter it is alternatively named. Having watered Ringwood and skirted the …
Rising at Thames Head, near the Cotswold village of Kemble, the Thames meanders across southern England for 215 miles, providing anglers with an array of angling opportunity. Some of our most revered anglers have cut their teeth on the Thames (such as Peter Stone – People we Like) and every season some extraordinary fish are …
By Chris Netto The tendrils of mist wound lazily around the tree branches as I stood on the banks of the Dorset Stour on a dull, grey, mid-July dawn. I had planned this adventure for weeks, keen to get in among Throop’s not inconsiderable chub population, but really hoping for one of its sizeable barbel. …
The ‘wrong’ type of gold—memories of a river capture Read More »
The River Test perks the ear of any angler. My late father would often talk about it in exalted tones, referring to its glorious brown trout. In later years, I learned of its grayling, and as my circle of angling interests widened, its big roach and dace. To have the chance to fish it was …
By Michael Comyns Where can you get a conker match, a cello recital and a crack at a double-figure barbel? Well, I don’t know where or when they might occur together again, but on a recent weekend at Llanthomas, where The Sheringham Society held its Autumnal Equinox Meet—dedicated to the memory of a recently departed …
